1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image processing method for inputting, outputting and storing image information, as well as to an apparatus for practicing this method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional image processing apparatus for inputting and outputting data in serial fashion and storing the data in a raster format, image information having a format read in serial fashion (which information shall be referred to as a serial format hereinafter; what is meant by "serial fashion" or "serial format" is illustrated in FIG. 16: scanning is done along several raster lines simultaneously, and the data from the scanner is taken for one column across the multi-raster-line strip or band 1902, then for the next such column, etc., across the width of the paper) is converted into a raster format, after which scaling processing is performed to store the information in memory. At readout, the raster-format image information that has been stored in memory is read out and subjected to scaling processing, after which the information is converted into the serial format and the resulting data is outputted as by printing.
When data having a format in which code data has been inserted into raster-format image data is outputted in a serial format, the image data is converted from the raster format to the serial format, after which an image corresponding to the code data is generated and imbedded in the image data. The image data thus obtained is outputted in serial fashion.